[The Saucepan Man]

(The title above relates to only the final part of this post (and then only tenuously), but I couldn't resist the pun. )

H-I, my favourite section of that "article" that you posted is the final paragraph:

Finally, we can only guess at what the Sauron sources might have revealed ...

After all, Dark Lords have feelings too (and any reader of ROEBII will know that I have reason to feel strongly about this ). I would love to see a "fan-fic" written from, and sympathetic to, Sauron's perspective. As they say, history is always written by the victors. Of course, it would not be at all "canonical" since it would turn one of the themes central to Tolkien's works on its head. But it would be fun.

So, to what extent can a fanfic be said not to be 'canonical'? What 'period' of Tolkien's creative work does a piece of fan fiction have to correspond to in order to be acceptable?

By "canonical", I assume that you mean consistent with canon, davem, since a fan-fic, not having been penned by the author himself, can never form part of the canon. Using this definition, I would go along with Lord of Angmar and say that, to be "canonical" a fan-fic must be consistent with the works which Tolkien himself published during his lifetime (and there are only two set in Middle-earth) and arguably the Silmarillion (I remain "fuzzy" on that one). Anything else within the author's "unpublished texts" is surely up for grabs, since (as you put it) we will never know exactly how it would have appeared in its final form had he got round to publishing it (and that does, I suppose, include the Silm, since it would most likely have been quite different in many respects had he published it himself).

Which brings me neatly to your comments on the revised Silmarillion project:

If you revise it to fit into a 'canon', an 'official' version (though I have to ask who the 'officials' are who will give final approval - is there an officiating body to whom you will offer up your completed version, who will stamp it 'officially approved', & declare all the other versions (including some of Tolkien's own) 'unofficial') you make it into something it was never intended to be.

I think you are (intentionally?) missing the point here. As I understand it, those involved in the project do not intend forcing the fruits of their (rather exceptional) labours on anyone. As Bêthberry said, they simply form one of many "interpetive communities" within the "Tolkien fan umbrella" (do I use quote marks too much?). Even if the finished product were to be published, individual fans would be free to accept it, reject it or just simply ignore it (which goes back to this concept of the boundless freedom of the reader).

But I think that you recognise that, for you go on to say:

I hope you enjoy the process, but for me it is simply a form of 'fanfic' - you're taking what you enjoy from Tolkien's work, & creating something new.

I agree with you on this, although I would qualify your point by recognising that it would (for me at least) represent a much more authoritative body of work than the more traditional type of fan-fic (with the exception perhaps of Mith's works, although I have not read them and am going on what Helen and others have said). The reason being that the work is being undertaken with the genuine intent of remaining as true to Tolkien's ideas as possible by a group of people who are intimately familiar with the entirety of his works. I would be interested to read it, although I might well choose to exclude some, or even all, of it from my own personal view of the history of Middle-earth. I would be fully entitled to do so, and I don't imagine that Maedhros, Findegil or anyone else working on it would seek to deny this. Of course, if I was to join their "interpretive community" and enter into the process, or even just enter into a discussion on the substance of what they are producing (as opposed to the process by which they are producing it), I would have to accept the "rules of canon" by which they work (one of those restrictions which I mentioned earlier).

And so to "Eruism". Sharon, you beautifully encapsulated the reasons for my not having picked up on this theme throughout most of my "Tolkien-reading life" (those quote marks again). Indeed, when I first joined this forum, I was utterly astonished at how dominant this theme was among the discussions, and also at the clear link between an interest in Tolkien and deep (and primarily Christian) religious beliefs. (Although that is clearly not to say that all Tolkien fans are Christians or even deeply religious. Many are neither. I am nominally the former, but not the latter). I do of course recognise the importance of "Eruism" within Tolkien's works now and, indeed, have accepted it into my own little "Tolkien world". But it certainly had no role to play in my intitial "enchantment" (drat those quote marks - too many nebulous concepts ).

I think that the following point in your post is key:

However, I truly think it's difficult for the modern day reader to wash out of his head all the information we have gleaned from the Silmarillion, Carpenter's biography of Tolkien, and, most critically, the published Letters. At least this is true of anyone who goes beyond a casual reading of the books to participate in continuing study or discussion.

That is certainly true today, assuming that the reader is aware of the ideas contained in the works that you mention. But, unless they read Tolkien in a very odd order or read widely on this forum (or others like it) before first reading LotR, they will not necessarily pick up on these ideas on first reading the book (just as I didn't). And there will be many who (whether "casual" (doh!) or more serious readers) will never get around to reading the Silmarillion, the Letters or the "unpublished texts" (just as I might never have done). And there will also be many to whom the theme is simply not that important. In any of these circumstances, their experience cannot be said to be less valid than those who are aware of and/or who hold as important the "Eruism" theme (or any of the other ideas contained within the secondary materials). For them, the heroism will suffice. (That last sentence is in there simply to make my title pun more relevant.)

Yes, Bêthberry, social, cultural, political and biographical events will inevitably have an impact upon the manner in which an author is interpreted, in addition to the "secondary materials" which he himself has produced. But, as I am sure you would accept, not all of them will affect every individual reader, some may be not be affected by them at all, and those individuals who are affected by them will be affected in different ways. And, of course, one's own personal experiences and perspectives (one's religious beliefs, for example) will have a significant effect on one's own personal interpretation. Which, I suppose, accounts for the range of opinion here and elsewhere in this forum.

And, on that note, I shall take my leave (although no doubt only temporarily so).

~Saucepan~
A recovering quote mark addict

Edit:

We can guide people by stating that we consider certain texts to be more "canonical" than others with some rules, but we can't tell each reader what to like and what not to.

Thanks for that clarification Madhros, which I think confirms my understanding of what you are seeking to acheive.